Surface Nanostructures Composed of Thiolated Cyclodextrin/Au and Fe Species: Gas‐ and Liquid‐Phase Preparation

Supramolecular surface nanostructures have application potential as functional devices. The complex combination of thiolated cyclodextrin, chemisorbed on an Au surface (Au‐S‐CD), with deposited Fe species is studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The Fe species are prepared by pulsed laser ablation in water and thermal effusion in vacuum. Using laser ablation in water, the solution of Fe species is dropped on Au‐S‐CD, where mass peaks at 1227 m/z, 1243 m/z, and 1260 m/z are observed and assigned to C₄₂H₆₈O₃₄SNa‐Fe⁺, C₄₂H₆₈O₃₄SK‐Fe⁺ together with C₄₂H₆₈O₃₄SNa‐FeO⁺, and C₄₂H₆₈O₃₄SK‐FeO⁺, respectively. On the other hand, laser ablation directly linked to the Au‐S‐CD surface results in desorption of CD‐S. Thermal effusion, even with a cooled surface, was negative with respect to the complex observation. Laser ablation results in the formation of a supramolecular host–guest complex of the form Au‐S‐CD‐Fe, and in the formation of an adduct of the form Au‐S‐CD‐FeO.     

Extreme Differences in the Interactions of `Bare' Fe+ and Fe2+ with Hydrogen Peroxide: Fenton Chemistry in the Gas Phase

The interaction of bare iron mono‐ and dications with hydrogen peroxide in the gas phase is studied by ab initio calculations employing the B3LYP/6‐311+G* level of theory. For the monocation, the quartet and sextet coordination complexes Fe(H₂O₂) are high‐energy isomers that easily interconvert to the more stable iron dihydroxide monocation Fe(OH) and hydrated iron oxide (H₂O)FeO⁺ (quartet) or dissociate into FeOH⁺+OH^. (sextet). On the dication surface, however, the order of stabilities is reversed in that Fe(H₂O₂)²⁺ (quintet) corresponds to the most stable doubly charged species, while the formal Fe^IV compounds Fe(OH) and (H₂O)FeO²⁺ are higher in energy.     

Transition-metal mediated heteroatom removal by reactions of FeL+ [L=O,C4H6, c-C5H6, c-C5H5, C6H6, C5H4(=CH2)] with furan,thiophene, and pyrrole in the gas phase

Reactions of Fe⁺ and FeL⁺ [L=O, C₄H₆, c-C₅H₆, C₅H₅, C₆H₆, C₅H₄(=CH₂)] with thiophene, furan, and pyrrole in the gas phase by using Fourier transform mass spectrometry are described. Fe⁺, Fe(C₅H₅)⁺, and FeC₆H ₆ ⁺ yield exclusive rapid adduct formation with thiophene, furan, and pyrrole. In addition, the iron-diene complexes [FeC₄H ₆ ⁺ and Fe(c-C₅H₆)⁺], as well as FeC₅H₄(=CH₂)⁺ and FeO⁺, are quite reactive. The most intriguing reaction is the predominant direct extrusion of CO from furan by FeC₄H₆ ⁺, Fe(c-C₅H₆)⁺, and FeC₅H₄(=CH₂)⁺. In addition, FeC₄H ₆ ⁺ and Fe(c-C₅H₆)⁺ cause minor amounts of HCN extrusion from pyrrole. Mechanisms are presented for these CO and HCN extrusion reactions. The absence of CS elimination from thiophene may be due to the higher energy requirements than those for CO extrusion from furan or HCN extrusion from pyrrole. The dominant reaction channel for reaction of Fe(c-C₅H₆)⁺ with pyrrole and thiophene is hydrogen-atom displacement, which implies D^O(Fa(N₅H₅)⁺-C₄H₄X)>D^O(Fe(C₅H₅)⁺-H)=46±5 kcal mol^?1. D^O(Fe⁺-C₄H₄S) and D^O(Fe⁺-C₄H₅N)=D^O(Fe⁺-C₄H₆)=48±5 kcal mol^?1. Finally, 55±5 kcal mol^?1=D^O(Fe⁺-C₆H₆)>D^O(Fe⁺-C₄H₄O)>D^O(Fe⁺-C₂H₄)=39.9±1.4 kcal mol^?1. FeO⁺ reacts rapidly with thiophene, furan, and pyrrole to yield initial loss of CO followed by additional neutral losses. D^O(Fe⁺-CS)>D^O(Fe⁺-C₄H₄S)≈48±5 kcal mol^?1 and D^O(Fe⁺-C₄H₅N)≈48±5 kcal mol^?1>D^O(Fe⁺-HCN)>D^O(Fe⁺-C₂H₄)=39.9±1.4 kcal mil^?1.     

Tris(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ2N,N′)iron(II) bis(2,4,5‐tricarboxybenzoate) monohydrate and tris(2,2′‐bipyridine‐κ2N,N′)iron(II) 2,5‐dicarboxybenzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate–benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetracarboxylic acid–water (1/1/2)

The title compounds, tris(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)iron(II) bis(2,4,5‐tricarboxybenzoate) monohydrate, [Fe(C₁₂H₈N₂)₃](C₁₀H₅O₈)₂·H₂O, (I), and tris(2,2′‐bipyridine‐κ²N,N′)iron(II) 2,5‐dicarboxybenzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate–benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetracarboxylic acid–water (1/1/2), [Fe(C₁₀H₈N₂)₃](C₁₀H₄O₈)·C₁₀H₆O₈·2H₂O, (II), were obtained during an attempt to synthesize a mixed‐ligand complex of Fe^II with an N‐containing ligand and benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetracarboxylic acid via a solvothermal reaction. In both mononuclear complexes, each Fe^II metal ion is six‐coordinated in a distorted octahedral manner by six N atoms from three chelating 1,10‐phenanthroline or 2,2′‐bipyridine ligands. In compound (I), the Fe^II atom lies on a twofold axis in the space group C2/c, whereas (II) crystallizes in the space group P2₁/n. In both compounds, the uncoordinated carboxylate anions and water molecules are linked by typical O—H...O hydrogen bonds, generating extensive three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bond networks which surround the cations.     

Synthesis,crystal structure,magnetism, and biological activities of an oxo-bridged diiron(III) complex

An unsymmetrical oxo-bridged diiron(III) complex [Fe₂L₂(μ-O)], {H₂L?=?trans-N,N′-bis-(2hydroxy-1-naphthalidehydene)-cyclohexanediamine} has been synthesized and characterized by various physico-chemical techniques. In the complex, each deprotonated bi-anionic L^2? serves as a terminal tetradentate ligand (N₂O₂) and coordinates to one Fe to form a [FeL]⁺ unit. Two [FeL]⁺ units are further linked by an oxo-bridge to construct the binuclear oxo-Fe species with intramolecular Fe–Fe separation of 3.38?Å. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies revealed a strong antiferromagnetic interaction between two iron centers with J of ?112?cm^?1. The interaction of the complex with CT-DNA was studied by various spectroscopic and viscosity measurements, which indicated that the complex could interact with CT-DNA through intercalation. In addition, the complex is able to cleave pBR322 DNA in the presence of H₂O₂. Furthermore, the interaction of the compound with BSA was also investigated, which indicated that the complex could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA by a static quenching mechanism.     

An iron(III) 18-metallacrown-6 complex: synthesis,crystal structure,and bioactivity

A macrocyclic hexanuclear iron(III) 18-metallacrown-6 complex, [Fe₆(C₉H₆BrN₂O₃)₆(CH₃OH)₄(H₂O)₂]?·?7CH₃OH?·?4H₂O, has been prepared using a trianionic pentadentate ligand N-acetyl-5-bromosalicylhydrazidate, abshz^3–, and characterized by X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure contains a neutral 18-membered metallacrown ring consisting of six Fe(III) and six abshz^3– ligands. The 18-membered metallacrown ring is formed by combination of six structural moieties, [Fe(III)–N–N]. Due to meridional coordination of ligand to Fe³⁺, the ligand enforces the stereochemistry of the Fe³⁺ ions as a propeller configuration with alternating Δ/Λ forms. Methanol and water are linked with Fe1, Fe1A, Fe,3 and Fe3A. The ratios of methanol to water are 0.76?:?0.24 for Fe1 and Fe1A, and 0.30?:?0.70 for Fe3 and Fe3A, which results in four component crystals of metallacrown rings with ratio of 0.168?:?0.072?:?0.532?:?0.228. Antibacterial screening data showed that the iron metallacrown has moderate antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis.     

Double‐Oxygen‐Atom Transfer in Reactions of CemO2m+ (m=2–6) with C2H2

Cerium oxide cluster cations (Ce_mO_n⁺, m=2–16; n=2m, 2m±1 and 2m±2) are prepared by laser ablation and reacted with acetylene (C₂H₂) in a fast‐flow reactor. A time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer is used to detect the cluster distribution before and after the reactions. Reactions of stoichiometric Ce_mO_2m⁺ (m=2–6) with C₂H₂ produce Ce_mO_2m?2⁺ clusters, which indicates a “double‐oxygen‐atom transfer” reaction Ce_mO_2m⁺+C₂H₂→Ce_mO_2m?2⁺+(CHO)₂ (ethanedial). A single‐oxygen‐atom transfer reaction channel is also identified as Ce_mO_2m⁺+C₂H₂→Ce_mO_2m?1⁺+C₂H₂O (at least for m=2 and 3). Density functional theory calculations are performed to study reaction mechanisms of Ce₂O₄⁺+C₂H₂, and the calculated results confirm that both the single‐ and double‐oxygen‐atom transfer channels are thermodynamically and kinetically favourable.     

(Carbonyl)Iron‐Selenolates: New Synthetic Methods and Reactions with Electrophiles. Crystal Structures of [(CO)6Fe2(μ‐SeR)2]; R = Me3SiCH2 and p‐O2NC6H4CH2, {(CO)6Fe2[μ‐η2‐Se,Se′‐o‐(SeCH2C6H4CH2Se)]}, and [(CO)6Fe2(μ‐SeFe(CO)2cp)2]

The reactions of Fe(CO)₅ or Fe₃(CO)₁₂ with NaBEt₃H or KB[CH(CH₃)C₂H₅]₃H, respectively and treatment of the resulting carbonylates M₂Fe(CO)₄, M = Na, K with elemental selenium in appropriate ratios lead to the formation of M₂[Fe₂(CO)₆(μ‐Se)₂]. Subsequent reactions with organo halides or the complex fragment cpFe(CO)₂⁺, cp = η⁵‐C₅H₅ afforded the selenolato complexes [Fe₂(CO)₆(μ‐SeR)₂], R = CH₂SiMe₃ ( 1 ), CH₂Ph ( 2 ), p‐CH₂C₆H₄NO₂ ( 3 ), o‐CH₂C₆H₄CH₂ ( 4 ) and cpFe(CO)₂⁺ ( 5 ) in moderate to good yields. A similar reaction employing Ru₃(CO)₁₂, Se and p‐O₂NC₆H₄CH₂Br leads to the formation of the corresponding organic diselenide. The X‐ray structures of 1 , 3 , 4 and 5 were determined and revealed butterfly structures of the Fe₂Se₂ cores. The substituents in 1 , 3  and 5 adopt different conformations depending on their steric demand. In 4 , the conformation is fixed because of the chelate effect of the ligand. The Fe–Se bond lengths lie in the range 235 to 240 pm, with corresponding Fe–Fe bond lengths of 254 to 256 pm. The ⁷⁷Se NMR data of the new complexes are discussed and compared with the corresponding data of related complexes.     

A Structural and Functional Model for the Tris-Histidine Motif in Cysteine Dioxygenase

The iron(II) complexes [Fe(L)(MeCN)₃](SO₃CF₃)₂ (L are two derivatives of tris(2-pyridyl)-based ligands) have been synthesized as models for cysteine dioxygenase (CDO). The molecular structure of one of the complexes exhibits octahedral coordination geometry and the Fe−N_py bond lengths [1.953(4)–1.972(4) Å] are similar to those in the Cys-bound Fe^II-CDO; Fe−N_His: 1.893–2.199 Å. The iron(II) centers of the model complexes exhibit relatively high Fe^III/II redox potentials (E_1/2=0.988–1.380 V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium electrode, Fc/Fc⁺), within the range for O₂ activation and typical for the corresponding nonheme iron enzymes. The reaction of in situ generated [Fe(L)(MeCN)(SPh)]⁺ with excess O₂ in acetonitrile (MeCN) yields selectively the doubly oxygenated phenylsulfinic acid product. Isotopic labeling studies using ¹⁸O₂ confirm the incorporation of both oxygen atoms of O₂ into the product. Kinetic and preliminary DFT studies reveal the involvement of an Fe^III peroxido intermediate with a rhombic S= Fe^III center (687–696 nm; g≈2.46–2.48, 2.13–2.15, 1.92–1.94), similar to the spectroscopic signature of the low-spin Cys-bound Fe^IIICDO (650 nm, g≈2.47, 2.29, 1.90). The proposed Fe^III peroxido intermediates have been trapped, and the O−O stretching frequencies are in the expected range (approximately 920 and 820 cm⁻¹ for the alkyl- and hydroperoxido species, respectively). The model complexes have a structure similar to that of the enzyme and structural aspects as well as the reactivity are discussed.     

Fe+ chemical ionization of peptides

Laser-desorbed peptide neutral molecules were allowed to react with Fe⁺ in a Fourier transform mass spectrometer, using the technique of laser desorption/chemical ionization. The Fe⁺ ions are formed by laser ablation of a steel target, as well as by dissociative charge-exchange ionization of ferrocene with Ne⁺. Prior to reaction with laser-desorbed peptide molecules, Fe⁺ ions undergo 20–100 thermalizin collisions with xenon to reduce the population of excited-state metal ion species. The Fe⁺ ions that have not experienced thermalizing collisions undergo charge exchange with peptide molecules. Iron ions that undergo thermalizing collisions before they are allowed to react with peptides are found to undergo charge exchange and to form adduct species [M + Fe⁺] and fragment ions that result from the loss of small, stable molecules, such as H₂O, CO, and CO₂, from the metal ion-peptide complex.     

A diketiminate‐bound diiron complex with a bridging carbonate ligand

Reduction of carbon dioxide by a diiron(I) complex gives μ‐carbonato‐κ³O:O′,O′′‐bis{[2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐3,5‐bis(2,4,6‐triisopropylphenyl)heptane‐2,5‐diiminate(1−)‐κ²N,N′]iron(II)} toluene disolvate, [Fe₂(C₄₁H₆₅N)₂(CO₃)]·2C₇H₈, a diiron(II) species with a bridging carbonate ligand. The asymmetric unit contains one diiron complex and two cocrystallized toluene solvent molecules that are distributed over three sites, one with atoms in general positions and two in crystallographic sites. Both Fe^II atoms are η²‐coordinated to diketiminate ligands, but η¹‐ and η²‐coordinated to the bridging carbonate ligand. Thus, one Fe^II center is three‐coordinate and the other is four‐coordinate. The bridging carbonate ligand is nearly perpendicular to the iron–diketiminate plane of the four‐coordinate Fe^II center and parallel to the plane of the three‐coordinate Fe^II center.     

Cations in a Molecular Funnel: Vibrational Spectroscopy of Isolated Cyclodextrin Complexes with Alkali Metals

The benchmark inclusion complexes formed by α‐cyclodextrin (αCD) with alkali‐metal cations are investigated under isolated conditions in the gas phase. The relative αCD‐M⁺ (M=Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺) binding affinities and the structure of the complexes are determined from a combination of mass spectrometry, infrared action spectroscopy and quantum chemical computations. Solvent‐free laser desorption measurements reveal a trend of decreasing stability of the isolated complexes with increasing size of the cation guest. The experimental infrared spectra are qualitatively similar for the complexes with the four cations investigated, and are consistent with the binding of the cation within the primary face of the cyclodextrin, as predicted by the quantum computations (B3LYP/6‐31+G*). The inclusion of the quantum‐chemical cation disrupts the C₆ symmetry of the free cyclodextrin to provide the optimum coordination of the cations with the ‐CH₂OH groups in C₁, C₂ or C₃ symmetry arrangements that are determined by the size of the cation.     

Mössbauer study on solid state photolysis of alkali tris(malonato)ferrates(III)

Solid state photolysis of alkali tris(malonato)ferrates(III), i.e., M₃[Fe(CH₂C₂O₄)₃]xH₂O (M=Li, Na, K, NH₄) has been studied employing Mössbauer, infrared and reflectance spectroscopic techniques. The complexes were irradiated for 300 hours using a medium pressure mercury vapour lamp of 250 W, Photodecomposition led to the formation of an iron(II) intermediate, M₂[Fe^II(CH₂C₂O₄)₂(H₂O)₂] (M=Li, Na, K) which on prolonged standing in air oxidized to M[Fe^III(CH₂C₂O₄)₂(H₂O)₂]. However, in case of ammonium complex, Fe^IICH₂C₂O₄·2H₂O once formed remained stable. The extent of photoreduction showed the sequence: NH₄, K>Li>Na. The results have been compared with those of alkali tris (oxalato) ferrates(III).     

层状K/Mg-Fe-Al催化剂的制备及其CO加氢性能研究

采用共沉淀法制备了系列不同Mg/Fe/Al配比MgFeAl-HTLcs前驱体,经焙烧、浸渍K改性、二次焙烧后用于CO加氢反应。采用N2吸附-脱附、SEM、TG、XRD、H2-TPR、XPS等手段对催化剂进行了表征。结果表明,共沉淀法制备的不同配比MgFeAl-HTLcs类水滑石前躯体均具有典型层状结构;焙烧后生成MgO、Fe2O3以及少量MgFeAlO4物相,三组元间相互作用增强,反应后以MgCO3和Fe3O4物相为主,同时出现较弱的Fe5C2相;K改性后发生结构重构,热稳定性增强,且随Al含量增加,比表面积显著单调下降;与K/Mg-Fe相比,K/Mg-Fe-Al样品中Fe2O3到Fe3O4的还原受到抑制;二次焙烧后,反应前表面相对富Fe,反应后表面富K。在CO加氢反应中,K/Mg-Fe-Al系列催化剂均表现出较高的反应活性以及烯烃选择性,随Fe/Al配比相对增加,C5+含量呈降低趋势,O/P值增加;与K/1.5Mg-0.67Fe相比,K/1.5Mg-0.67Fe-0.33Al催化剂C5+含量由22.17%降至10.90%,C=2-4含量由40.98%提高至47.28%。     

An octanuclear iron(III) isobutyrate wheel

The reaction of the μ₃‐oxido‐centred trinuclear isobutyrate cluster [Fe₃O(O₂CCHMe₂)₆(H₂O)₃]⁺ with an excess of phenol (PhOH) in chloroform produces a novel octanuclear Fe^III cluster, cyclo‐tetra‐μ₂‐hydroxido‐dodeca‐μ₂‐isobutyrato‐κ²⁴O:O′‐octa‐μ₂‐phenolato‐κ¹⁶O:O′‐octairon(III) phenol hexasolvate monohydrate, [Fe₈(C₄H₇O₂)₁₂(C₆H₅O)₈(OH)₄]·6C₆H₅OH·H₂O. The neutral cluster is located about a centre of inversion and consists of a planar ring of eight Fe^III centres with two types of bridges between adjacent Fe atoms: each Fe atom is bridged to one of its neighbours by a μ‐hydroxide and two 1,3‐bridging carboxylates, or by two phenolate and one 1,3‐bridging isobutyrate ligand. The cavity within the {Fe₈} wheel is occupied by a disordered water molecule. Intermolecular O—H...O hydrogen bonds and C—H...π interactions connect the clusters and the phenol solvent molecules to form a three‐dimensional network.     

Photofragmentation of 2‐Deoxy‐D‐Ribose Molecules in the Gas Phase

We have measured the synchrotron‐induced photofragmentation of isolated 2‐deoxy‐D ‐ribose molecules (C₅H₁₀O₄) at four photon energies, namely, 23.0, 15.7, 14.6, and 13.8 eV. At all photon energies above the molecule′s ionization threshold we observe the formation of a large variety of molecular cation fragments, including CH₃⁺, OH⁺, H₃O⁺, C₂H₃⁺, C₂H₄⁺, CH_xO⁺ (x=1,2,3), C₂H_xO⁺ (x=1–5), C₃H_xO⁺ (x=3–5), C₂H₄O₂⁺, C₃H_xO₂⁺ (x=1,2,4–6), C₄H₅O₂⁺, C₄H_xO₃⁺ (x=6,7), C₅H₇O₃⁺, and C₅H₈O₃⁺. The formation of these fragments shows a strong propensity of the DNA sugar to dissociate upon absorption of vacuum ultraviolet photons. The yields of particular fragments at various excitation photon energies in the range between 10 and 28 eV are also measured and their appearance thresholds determined. At all photon energies, the most intense relative yield is recorded for the m/q=57 fragment (C₃H₅O⁺), whereas a general intensity decrease is observed for all other fragments— relative to the m/q=57 fragment—with decreasing excitation energy. Thus, bond cleavage depends on the photon energy deposited in the molecule. All fragments up to m/q=75 are observed at all photon energies above their respective threshold values. Most notably, several fragmentation products, for example, CH₃⁺, H₃O⁺, C₂H₄⁺, CH₃O⁺, and C₂H₅O⁺, involve significant bond rearrangements and nuclear motion during the dissociation time. Multibond fragmentation of the sugar moiety in the sugar–phosphate backbone of DNA results in complex strand lesions and, most likely, in subsequent reactions of the neutral or charged fragments with the surrounding DNA molecules.     

Formation of H3O+ from alcohols and ethers induced by intense laser fields

The processes of H₃O⁺ production from alcohols (ethanol, 2‐propanol, 1‐propanol, 2‐butanol) and ethers (diethyl ether and ethyl methyl ether), and their deuterium‐substituted species, by intense laser fields (800 nm, 100 fs, ～1 × 10¹⁴ W/cm) were investigated through time‐of‐flight (TOF) mass spectrometry. H₃O⁺ formation was observed for all these compounds except for ethyl methyl ether. From the analysis of TOF signals of H_(3?n)D_nO⁺ (n = 0, 1, 2, and 3) that have expanding tails with increasing flight time, it has been confirmed that the reaction proceeds through metastable dissociation from the intermediate species C₂H_(5?m)D_mO⁺(m = 0–5). The common shape of the H_(3?n)D_nO⁺ signal profiles contains two major distributions in the time constant, i.e., fast and slow components of <50 ns and ～500 ns, respectively. The H_(3?n)D_nO⁺ branching ratio is interpreted to be the result of complete scrambling of four hydrogen atoms at the C? C site in C₂H₄‐OH⁺, and partial exchange (18–38%) of a hydrogen atom in the OH group with four other hydrogen atoms within 1 ns prior to H_(3?n)D_nO⁺ production. Ab initio calculations for the isomers and transition states of C₂H₅O⁺ were also performed, and the observed H_(3?n)D_nO⁺ production mechanism has been discussed. In addition, a stable isomer having a complex structure and two isomerization pathways were discovered to contribute to the H₃O⁺ formation process. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Benzene Oxidation by ‘Bare’ FeO+ in the Gas Phase

Bare FeO⁺ reacts in the gas phase with benzene at collision rate (k = 1.3 × 10^?9 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1), giving rise to the formation of Fe(C₆H₄)⁺/H₂O(5%), Fe(C₅H₆)⁺/CO(37%), Fe(C₅H₅)⁺/CO/H. (2%), and Fe⁺/C₆H₅OH (56%). Neither the reaction rate nor the product distribution are subject to a significant kinetic isotope effect, thus, ruling out several mechanistic variants described in the literature to the operative for ‘analogous’ arene oxidation processes in solution. A mechanism is suggested which is in keeping with the experimental findings, and which also accounts for some remarkable results obtained, when two [Fe, C₆,H₆H₆O]⁺ isomers are generated and subjected to a neutralization-re-ionization experiment in the gas phase.     

Influence of γ-radiation on the reactivity of montmorillonite towards H2O2

Compacted and water saturated bentonite will be used as an engineered barrier in deep geological repositories for radioactive waste in many countries. Due to the high dose rate of ionizing radiation outside the canisters holding the nuclear waste, radiolysis of the interlayer and pore water in the compacted bentonite is unavoidable. Upon reaction with the oxidizing and reducing species formed by water radiolysis (OH^•, e⁻_(aq), H^•, H₂O₂, H₂, HO₂^•, H₃O⁺), the overall redox properties in the bentonite barrier may change. In this study the influence of γ-radiation on the structural Fe(II)/Fe_Tot ratio in montmorillonite and its reactivity towards hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was investigated in parallel experiments. The results show that under anoxic conditions the structural Fe(II)/Fe_Tot ratio of dispersed Montmorillonite increased from ≤3 to 25-30% after γ-doses comparable to repository conditions. Furthermore, a strong correlation between the structural Fe(II)/Fe_Tot ratio and the H₂O₂ decomposition rate in montmorillonite dispersions was found. This correlation was further verified in experiments with consecutive H₂O₂ additions, since the structural Fe(II)/Fe_Tot ratio was seen to decrease concordantly. This work shows that the structural iron in montmorillonite could be a sink for one of the major oxidants formed upon water radiolysis in the bentonite barrier, H₂O₂.